Concise Minutes - Petitions Committee

Meeting Venue:

Committee Room 1 - Senedd

Meeting date: Tuesday, 14 February 2017

Meeting time: 09.06 - 10.07
This meeting can be viewed
on Senedd TV at:
http://senedd.tv/en/3945

Attendance

Category	Names
Assembly Members:	Mike Hedges AM (Chair) Gareth Bennett AM Neil McEvoy AM
Witnesses:
Committee Staff:	Graeme Francis (Clerk) Kayleigh Driscoll (Deputy Clerk) Kath Thomas (Deputy Clerk) Lisa Salkeld (Legal Adviser)

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Transcript

View the meeting transcript (PDF 317KB) View as HTML (118KB)

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1 Introduction, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest

The Chair welcomed everyone to meeting. Janet Finch-Saunders sent her apologies.

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2 New petitions

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2.1 P-05-734 Ban Letting Agent Fees to Tenants

Mike Hedges declared the following relevant interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

He submitted a proposed Bill to the Member ballot on the same subject matter as the petition.

Gareth Bennett declared the following relevant interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

He submitted a proposed Bill to the Member ballot on the same subject matter as the petition.

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to:

· the Equalities, Local Government and Communities Committee to ask if they intend to conduct work on this issue; and

· the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children requesting  further information on the timescale in which he intends to make a decision over whether legislation is required on the issue. 

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2.2 P-05-735 Make the foundation phase more effective for our children, provide more teachers and abolish yr 2 Sats.

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to:

· await the views of the petitioner on the Minister’s response; and

· seek information from the Research Service on pupil / teacher ratios in Scandinavia. 

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2.3 P-05-736 To Make Mental Health Services More Accessible

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to charities that support people with mental health problems to seek their views on the issues raised by the petition and the information provided by the Cabinet Secretary.

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2.4 P-05-737 Save Our Bus

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to:

· await the views of the petitioner on the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure’s response; and

· forward the petition to Bus User’s Cymru for their information.

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2.5 P-05-739 Save TWF Services

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to:

· write to the Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language for clarification on which local authority areas Cymraeg i Blant is currently working in, and further details on how the national element of Twf is now being taken forward by the Welsh Government; and

· await the views of the petitioners.

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2.6 P-05-740 Petition to Protect our High Street

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government to seek answers to the specific questions raised by the petitioner.

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2.7 P-05-741 Natural Resources Wales (Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru) Needs Tighter Restriction

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to Natural Resources Wales for a response on the points raised by the petition and how they take into account competing interests and agricultural usage of land in the process of designating Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

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3 Updates to previous petitions

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3.1 P-04-539 Save Cardiff Coal Exchange

The Committee considered the correspondence from the petitioner and agreed to:

· Forward the petitioner’s request to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure and ask if he is prepared to consider calling a public inquiry into the events surrounding the development of the Coal Exchange; and

· write to the Leader of Cardiff Council to seek his response to comments received about the accuracy of his correspondence with the Committee.

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3.2 P-04-594 Cilmeri Community Council Appeal for The Prince Llywelyn Monument

The Committee considered the correspondence from the petitioner and agreed to write to:

· the petitioner asking him to update the Committee once he has received a response from the Cabinet Secretary about the funding of new signs; and

· Powys County Council to ask what progress has been made in relation to the maintenance of the Prince Llywelyn monument and implementation of the 2013 Lloyd Brown Interpretation Plan.

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3.3 P-05-709 The Circuit of Wales

The Committee considered the correspondence from the petitioner and, as requested by the petitioner, agreed to close the petition and thank him for his engagement with the petitions process.

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3.4 P-05-714 Include a Mynachdy and Talybont Station as Part of the Cardiff Metro Proposal

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to ask the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure to update the Committee once the prioritisation work on a list of new stations under the National Transport Finance Plan has been completed.

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3.5 P-05-731 Land & Access Lane Sale at Abercwmboi

The Committee considered correspondence from the petitioner and agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure:

· asking if he would be willing to consult with the petitioner and other residents of Park View Terrace over the future usage of the land once current discussions with the local authority have concluded, and prior to any sale process;

· enquire whether users of lane and land currently used for parking will have gained a right of way to the land by virtue of long-standing usage; and

· seeking clarification on inconsistencies in previous correspondence highlighted by the petitioner.

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3.6 P-04-519 Abolition of Park Homes Sales Commission

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children and the petitioner and agreed to:

· await the announcement of the Cabinet Secretary’s decisions following the research into the park homes industry, before deciding whether to take further action on the petition; and

· explore whether it would be possible to meet with the petitioners informally to discuss their petition.

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3.7 P-04-597 Protect the future of Funky Dragon, the Children and Young People’s Assembly for Wales

The Committee agreed to close the petition on the basis that considerable time has passed since the last contact with the petitioner and the fact that the National Assembly for Wales is currently working to establish a youth parliament for Wales.

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3.8 P-04-662 It is Hard to Conceive What Life Would Have Become Without my Support Worker

The Committee agreed to close the petition given the protection provided to the budget for the Supporting People Programme, and the lack of success in contacting the petitioner.

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3.9 P-04-490 Antiretroviral Medication in Cardiff

The Committee agreed to close the petition because considerable time has passed since the last contact with the petitioner.

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3.10P-04-564 Restoration of Inpatient Beds, Minor Injuries Cover and X-Ray Unit to the Ffestiniog Memorial Hospital

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write to the Community Health Council to seek their views on the petition.

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3.11P-04-682 Routine Screening for Type 1 Diabetes in Children and Young People

The Committee considered correspondence from Diabetes UK Cymru, the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee and the petitioner and agreed to write to:

· the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Social Care and Sport to request that he considers meeting with the petitioners; and

· all Local Health Boards to request more information on their diagnosis and referral pathways.

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3.12P-05-713 The Wildlife Warriors

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and given the degree of consensus between the petitioners, Keep Wales Tidy and Welsh Government on the role that Wildlife Warriors clubs can play, the Committee agreed to close the petition and thank the petitioners for the engagement with the petitions process.

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3.13P-05-717 Establish Statutory Public Rights of Access to Land and Water for Recreational and Other Purposes

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs following her statement issued on 13 February, seeking clarification on whether the planned consultation will include the option for a statutory public right of access to land and water, and the timeframe for this.

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3.14P-04-499 Kick Start The Welsh Language Curriculum

The Committee agreed to close the petition because considerable time has passed since the last contact with the petitioners.

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3.15P-05-724 Rights to Primary Health Care in Welsh

The Committee considered correspondence from the Welsh Language Commissioner and agreed to await the publication of the Welsh Government’s response to the consultation and the draft regulations they bring forward, and consider the petition again at that stage.

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3.16P-05-726 Give Rate Relief to Local Authorities for Leisure and Cultural Facilities

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government and agreed to await the views of the petitioner before deciding whether to take any further action on this petition.

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3.17P-05-727 Funding for the Education Workforce Council Registration (EWC) Fee for Learning Support Workers in Schools

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Education seeking a response to the concerns and questions raised by the petitioners, and ask whether it is the Welsh Government’s intention to continue to subsidise the registration fees of low paid school staff in future years.

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4 Motion under Standing Order 17.42(ix) to resolve to exclude the public from the meeting for the remainder of the meeting

The motion was agreed.

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5 Forward work planning

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6 P-05-710 Ensure Disabled People can Access Public Transport As and When They Need it - Discussion of the Evidence Session

The Committee discussed the evidence session that took place on 31 January with Whizz-Kidz Ambassadors and agreed to obtain additional oral evidence from:

· Rail Operators;

· Bus Operators;

· Taxi Services;

· The Welsh Local Government Association; and

· The Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure.

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